Nvidia(NVDA), the world’s largest public company by market capitalization and bellwether of the artificial intelligence sector, again topped Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter and reported results after the close of U.S. markets on Wednesday.
The chipmaker beat estimates and reported revenue of $68.1 billion, up 73% from a year earlier, as continued AI-related capital spending fueled strong demand for its chips. It also reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.62, beating estimates. Wall Street analysts expected Nvidia to report about $66.1 billion in revenue and $1.54 in adjusted EPS, according to FactSet data.
Shares rose nearly 3% in post-market trading Wednesday after the earnings announcement.
Investors are now focused on guidance. Nvidia expects first-quarter revenue of about $78 billion, up from analysts’ expectations of $72.9 billion, setting the tone for the next phase of AI-driven growth.
The chipmaking giant also said its data center revenue for the fourth quarter was a record $62.3 billion, up 75% from a year ago and up 22% from the previous quarter, driven by the “major platform shifts – accelerated computing and artificial intelligence.”
“Today’s report is a strong setback to the narrative that growth in hyperscale AI may begin to fade in 2027,” said Thomas Monteiro, senior analyst at Pakinomist. “The roughly 75% increase in data center revenue further reinforces that the deployment of hyperscale AI infrastructure remains in expansion mode.”
Following the results and outlook, bitcoin remained at session highs around $69,500 after a 10% gain from Tuesday’s lows. AI-focused crypto tokens such as Bittensor (TAO) and Internet Computer (ICP) added to their gains.
Crypto miners, increasingly tied to artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure, also saw modest gains following Nvidia’s report. IREN (IREN), Cipher Digital (CIFR) and TeraWulf (WULF) were 1%-2% higher in after-hours trading.
The company will host a conference call at 5 p.m. ET, where investors will be listening closely for additional signals about the next phase of AI infrastructure.
UPDATE (February 25, 22:10 UTC): Adds analyst commentary.
